On Passage

At the end of the passage from Horta to Crosshaven, I was sick of offshore sailing. Eighty-three days out in the middle of the ocean had done something to me. But after a few months of marinas and coastal cruising, I began to look forward to offshore sailing again. This passage has been fun. As this is our last large passage before we move ashore, I have tried hard to enjoy the process, which, so far, I have managed to achieve without too much difficulty.

February 13 is our fifteenth day on passage. Strangely, to me it feels like day five, as it has gone by so fast. Fast is not even the word. Sila's speed has been great; we are doing, on average, from seven to eight and a half knots (our usual average is closer to six knots). The speed is not the only good part of sailing. We are wing and wing. Wing and Wing is a position of the sails where one is on the port side, the other sail on the starboard. This is a very fast point of sail but it only works when we are going down wind, which is when the wind is behind us, blowing us forward.

Also, I have had little or no trouble entertaining myself. School, passage prizes, starry night skies, and sunny weather have all done well to keep me occupied. We have been doing lots of extra school these days. Why? Well, why not? There is no time-consuming activity as time consuming as school. Also, if we do it now, we will not have to do it when there is something exciting to be done, such as hiking, snorkeling, and playing onshore.

Passage prizes are surprises of fun things given to one another. They always break up the passage and give us something to look forward to. This time, Porter and I are in charge of the prizes so it gives us things to think about. I think it is as much fun, if not more fun, giving presents than getting them.

Mama is on watch from six to nine in the evening. In that time, Porter and I come on deck and listen to an Audio book. So far, we have listened to "The Chocolate War"and "Liesl and Po" and will start a new book tonight. The sky is usually clear, and the stars are bright. It is fun to pick out constellations and admire the dome of sparkles above us. Out here in the middle of the ocean, thousands of miles from civilization, the absence of light pollution makes the sky especially bright.

The sky in the daytime is nice too. We just came from Europe, where it was the rainy season. Everyday it rained. That may be an overstatement, but it felt like that in Falmouth. It is nice to have sunshine on our faces. Also, It is not too hot, so we are not cooked every day. When we were south of the equator last year, it was roasting hot. We joked it was a frying pan on deck, and an oven down below. Thankfully, we are not that hot, but still warm enough to wear shorts and a t-shirt for the first time in many months.

Between the facts of good sailing, only a week and a half left until we reach land, friendly skies, and passage prizes, my time here is great. (Here being in the middle of nowhere, specifically 21°04'N 041°01'W)-JackRabbit